75 



isbury recommends the use of sulphur, sulphites, sul- 

 phurous and sulphuric acids, as antidotes for blight. 

 No opinion is given as to the value of subhates, — 

 He suggests the removal of the surface earth around 

 the tree, in early spring, and an application of a 

 compost containing one of the above ingredients. , 

 A cheap one would be made of refuse gas lime from 

 the purifying vats, or pitch from coal oil refineries, 

 boiled down to asphalt and pulverized, mixed, half 

 and half, with good soil. This, placed around the 

 tree, would be taken up into its circulation, and 

 thus coming in contact with the the fungoid spores 

 and mycelium, would destroy them. 



Having now stated the various theories on blight, 

 I next propose to note my own experience concern- 

 ing the disease : 



The city of Chillicothe is located on the west side 

 of the valley of the Scioto, which averages from one 

 to two miles in width. The soil of the valley con- 

 sists of deep, rich, peaty alluvium, generating more 

 or less fever and ague annually. Similar soil is 

 found in all our stream bottoms, as well as frequent- 

 ly in other and higher localities. Excepting the 

 past year, (1866,) fever and ague has prevailed ex- 

 tensively in all these localities for the last 5 or 6 

 years. Pear blight has, too, been equally prevalent 

 in the valley during the same years, including the 

 last year also ; so much so, that nearly all our 

 fruit growers in the valley have abandoned the cul- 

 tivation of the Pear as hopeless. My own location 

 is one mile west of Chillicothe, in an elevated glen 

 or vale, and about one-fourth of a mile west of the 

 edge of the valley. The grounds were purchased 

 some three years ago, chiefly with a view to the cul- 

 tivation of good fruits, — the soil being a good loam, 

 slightly sandy, with a porous subsoil, and naturally 

 very well drained ; — there being no alluvium or bot- 

 tom lands nearer than the valley, unless a small, 

 wet corn-fi.eld, situate one-eighth of a mile south- 

 west of me, be excepted. Fogs and vapors from the 

 valley never reach this location, unless rarely carried 

 up by easterly winds. Upon this elevated spot I 

 had hoped to escape blight and late frosts. 



In October, 1864, I purchased 500 thrifty stand- 

 ard and dwarf Pear trees, at Cincinnati and Colum- 

 bus, embracing about 60 varieties, and heeled them 

 in on my own grounds for winter. The parties of 

 whom I obtained them informed me, upon inquiry, 

 that there were no fall rains in the vicinity, or second 

 growth in the trees: they being, apparently, all 

 quite healthjT^, a..d free of blight. The next spring 

 they were pruned and carefully set out in the natu- 

 ral soil, still showing no blight. Excepting two or 

 three weeks of only tolerably dry weather, in May, 



the season was unusually wet until the 1st of Sep- 

 tember, when a dry fall ensued. During the sum- 

 mer, fogs (produced probably by local causes) were 

 seen, occasionally, in the Pear orchard. About the 

 15th of June blight appeared ; and during the next 

 four weeks 16 trees were affected, (one in every 31), 

 12 dying of the disease. No second growth took 

 place afterward, and the residue of the trees went 

 out of the year 1865 in a very healthy state. 



On pruning them in the spring of 1866, I found 

 all healthy, showing no dark discolorations (indica- 

 ting blight) on bodies or Hmbs. 



The spring of this year was quite wet until about 

 the 6th of May, when drought came on, lasting al- 

 most continuously until the first of August. About 

 the. 10th of June, however, a smart shower occurred 

 moistening the ground two or three inches. On 17th 

 another occurred similar to the first. No fogs were 

 observable before this time; but, afterwards, occasion- 

 al morning fogs were noticed in the north end of the 

 Pear orchard, (from local causes no doubt). Up to 

 the 17th there had been continued daily winds (sub- 

 siding at night) from the south-west, for more than 

 a month. No attention was given to their course 

 afterwards, as the weather became calmer. On the 

 19th, (two daj^s after the shower,^) I saw the first 

 appearance of blight, having been watching daily for 

 some weeks for it. On close inspection, four trees 

 were found severely affected. A solution of sulphate 

 of iron (copperas) was at once applied to the dis- 

 eased parts ; and five gallons of water, containing 

 a pound of the sulphate, was also poured over the 

 roots of each tree, after removing a portion of the 

 earth. This remedy produced no visible effect, — all 

 the affected trees dying soon. 



Inspecting the orchard closely every few days 

 through June and July, and no further cases occur- 

 ring, 1 ceased observations for a time. In August, 

 a few showers occurred. This month was followed 

 by a very rainy September — inducing potato rot ex- 

 tensively. I watched, then, for a second growth in 

 the Pear orchard; but none came on — although the 

 foliage continued green until November. October 

 being comparatively dry, our first frost did not hap- 

 pen until the 26th of that month. It was repeated 

 several times during the fortnight following, but 

 not with sufficient severity, I should think, to con- 

 geal the sap of the trees. 



While passing through the orchard, about the mid- 

 dle of November, I casually observed discolorations 

 in a tree, indicative of blight ; and on examination, 

 found, to my surprise, the body dead and dry from 

 the disease. Continuing the examination, and test- 

 ing the trees with the knife, eight others were found 



